That Strictly Professional Relationship
by Kyanite Eirian
Summary: A hundred-oneshots-challenge revolving around Brynn, Hanso, and their confazzling 'strictly professional' relationship. Themes from soccerfan48's profile.
1. Freedom

**A/N: My new Neopets story, hope you enjoy! Chapters will generally be short like this one, and update speed may vary from a few weeks to a few days.**

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**Freedom**

"There is nothing a thief values more than freedom. A certain Ixi seems to be getting none of it lately."

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Brynn had once joked that as a rule, the Brightvale marketplace was always sunny, and that day was no exception. In the scorching Brightvalean summer heat, the hazed and dehydrated shoppers could've sworn they saw a trickle of melted stained glass drip onto the floor, but the heat rising out of the ground made it hard to see.

"Him again?" the orange Kougra groaned as she spotted that pesky thief pocket a few rosy red apples from the stall, whistling innocently and ducking as the exhausted stallkeeper tried to whack him with his pitchfork. "I swear I caught that guy yesterday, stealing jewellery. How'd he escape that fast?"

Her companion, an electric Draik called Desiree, shrugged. "Beats me." Obviously too lazy to catch the thief, she leaned against the wall and stared up at the sky.

"Fat lot of help you are."

Grabbing her handcuffs, Brynn forced herself to stagger the few metres to the stall and snatch at the thief's flowing trench coat. She caught it neatly in her fist and raised her sword to the thief's neck. She'd been practicing this on other criminals lately, and she'd been getting pretty good. She didn't trip over like she had the first few times.

"Hi," the Ixi grinned. "Nice to see you today."

"Hi," Brynn grumbled back. She snapped the handcuffs onto his wrists and tightened them. There was silence for a while, then when Brynn stepped back, the criminal spoke.

"You don't look very happy today. Why shouldn't you be? The weather's glorious, there's not one cloud in the sky…"

"Oh, shut up." The thief raised an eyebrow. "It's boiling today, and you're wearing a jacket."

He shrugged. "Oh, enchantments and all that. They come in handy."

"I bet you paid for it with your filthy stolen Neopoints."

The thief shrugged again. "Have to steal to live, young lady. Oh, by the way, what's your name? I'd like to know the name of the promising guard who managed to lock me in a freezing dungeon cell no less than five times."

Brynn was so startled by this question, and the fact that she'd caught him five times already, that she blurted out, "Brynn."

"Mine's Hanso. Great name for a handsome boy like me, right?"

Oh great. "Desiree… I need your help." The Draik was still leaning against the wall, looking over thirstily at the drinks stand and rummaging for her pouch of Neopoints. "Quickly."

Desiree snapped back to reality and walked briskly towards her friend. "What is it?" she asked, completely different to the exhausted Neopet moments before. "Caught that thief again?"

"Yup. And he's really annoying."

The way back to the Guard base was mostly filled with Hanso's super annoying comments and Brynn and Desiree's eye rolls. It seemed like much too long before the three marched their way down to the dungeons.

"Have a good day," Brynn waved, smirking as she locked the cell door, leaving Hanso the thief in his cold room.

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Hanso sighed and tested out the windows, then grinned as he'd realised the windows were unlocked. He'd already spend most of his week in these dungeons, and he was eager to escape and be free.

Using his belt as a grappling hook of sorts, he hauled himself out of the window and landed softly on the parched grass outside. It crunched, and Hanso froze. Scanning the area for guards, his heart sank when he saw the flicker of a candle rapidly approaching. He shielded his eyes from the light, and felt a now familiar grip on his arm.

"And what do you think you're doing?" asked the Kougra through gritted teeth. Hanso grinned nervously.

"Oh, I don't know… just getting some freedom?"


	2. Love

**A/N: So sorry, Flu and any other Minecrafters who read this story, For a Free Minecraftia won't be updated until next week. I've put all my energy into thinking up of something for this. I hate this theme. Especially because Brynn had only just met Hanso and vice versa at this point in the story.**

**Also, this chapter is a bit... I dunno... angst-y? It's my first time writing like this, and I don't think I got it quite right, but hey, it's Fanfiction. And yeah, another short chapter.**

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**Love**

"People love different things. He knew that"

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Brynn shone like a star because she loved dedication and honour, which was what Brightvale Guards were known for. Every slash of her sword was precise and calculated, every criminal she caught was proudly shown to the dungeon keeper. She loved her job and the focus that was required for it. Everyone knew she was aiming to become Captain of the Guards one day, and everyone knew that she'd probably get what she wanted. Everyone could see her passion. She was born to be a knight in shining armour.

He'd remember her shouting out his name one day, when she'd spotted him stealing something or other from someone or other. It was an annoyed shout, like he'd been nothing but a thief. An annoying, pesky thief.

"Hanso!" she'd yelled over the loud noises of the city, her voice nearly lost over the metres it had to travel. He'd heard it, and he sure wasn't happy. A name, that was all he was. A name. Attached to a grubby criminal. He didn't mind. He was born for thieving as much as Brynn was born for guarding.

Hanso, that annoying, pesky thief. That was all he'd ever be, an annoyance. A grubby street urchin forced to steal to survive. And he loved it.

He loved the thrill of running at full speed, unweighted by anything, like he was able to fly. The feeling of weightlessness as he bounded over fences and soared over walls. He loved the job itself, even though he wouldn't even be known as himself, just as a face on a wanted poster. Brynn wouldn't understand. Nobody did, apart from his fellow thieves.

He was in an alleyway, staring at the cobblestones. It was a back alley, safe from guards. He didn't mind the stink from the garbage thrown around the walls. He probably smelled like that himself. He didn't mind. Nobody would check up on his appearance, no parent would force him to take a shower once a day. He didn't have parents. That was over with. He was Hanso, the thief. Nothing more.

A Mootix crawled up the wall. He loved Mootixes. Petpetpets, they are. Bugs to be squished or locked up in a glass dome with little pets staring at you each day. Little worms, creeping through cracks, like himself. Able to blend in with the fungus on the walls. Proud to be a nobody. Just a face. They loved it, so did he.

Candelight flickered from the window as a curtain was drawn. A broomstick poked him in the back, and he leapt away. "Thief," the lady hissed. Even though she was obviously from the lower class, she still hated thieves. That was the only sane thing about this world- everyone hated thieves. Thieves loved their job, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor like Robin Hood from the old stories. They didn't like anything else much apart from their job. And so the other people didn't like them. Didn't talk to thieves, they don't. Never will. They're just _thieves_, after all.

They love it, that's all that matters. Brynn liked being a guard, everyone acknowledges that. That blue Ixi thief on the wanted posters on the baker's window obviously likes stealing, even though nobody's ever bothered to find out. They acknowledge that. They don't like it, but they know it. They love knowledge, the gossip spreading around town as fast as the sandstorms from the Lost Desert.

Hanso however, knows nothing. Can't read, can't write, can't draw. Looks like a thief, _is_ a thief. Lives on stolen food. Hasn't spoken to anyone besides Brynn and some thieves for weeks now. Only Brynn and possibly Desiree know what he's really like, that he actually has a personality. And even they forget that sometimes, when he becomes just another criminal. Far beneath his notice. That's all he is- a criminal. He doesn't know, he believes. He thinks. He relies on instincts. Other people will know, other people will love knowing. Love being in this vibrant city, one of the major cities of Neopia.

Hanso doesn't. He likes thieving, that's all he'll love. End of story. He's just a thief, and he loves it.

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***winces* So yeah. That's all I managed to spew out after many hours of deliberation. Sorry... I just can't write _long_. Blame my short attention span...**


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